Will GOP Continue to Oppose Jobs Issue Everyone Can Agree On?

As the Senate prepares to take action on infrastructure proposals from the American Jobs Act next week, we wanted to be sure you saw comments from Chamber of Commerce President Tom Donohue and AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka on the need for investments in infrastructure:

Donohue: “Well, first, we're in agreement of the need to bring along a major improvement in our infrastructure. Second, we understand that a lot of jobs can be created in the transportation and the energy side and the aviation and the water side.”

Trumka: “We can't be competitive in a global economy unless we have infrastructure that allows us to be competitive. We have a major deficit, a $2.2 trillion deficit in old infrastructure and a $2 trillion deficit in new infrastructure, to bring us into the 21st century. This is really a no-brainer.” [ABC This Week, 10/23/11]

Republicans might want to think twice about opposing an issue that everyone – from business to labor – can agree is critical to jobs and our economy, and that used to enjoy bipartisan support.

There was also discussion of the need for a national manufacturing strategy, a key component of the Make It In America agenda:

Trumka: “Look, the other countries that we deal with, they have a plan and a strategy. They have a plan for manufacturing. They have a plan to build things. We don't have that strategy in the United States.”